There exists certain prejudice towards men working with young children, which is connected with many myths going around men in the daycare profession. These myths prevent from understanding the importance of men teaching children in various institutions ranging from kindergarten to school. It creates certain obstacles for men who would like to occupy a daycare profession. As a consequence, many children have no chance to experience various activities with men as caretakers, which deprives them of certain privileges that will be analyzed in the following research. The research analyzes the stereotypes dealing with men working with children. It also points out certain myths concerning the problem and ways to overcome it. The research provides full information on the involvement of men in the daycare profession. The author refers to the investigation of Bryan G. Nelson, who has worked with young children for more than forty years and has a wide experience in this matter. The author also refers to some other investigations dealing with men in the daycare industry provided by a number of researchers.

¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† I.¬†¬†¬†¬† Myths and stereotypes towards men in daycare profession.

Some people think that men are not ready to work with children because of low wages. In fact, it is one of the myths about childcare professions. According to the statistics, a great number of men either work in quick-service industry, or are employed for seasonal and temporary jobs. It proves that a lot of men do not care about the wages. It is the kind of job and opportunities the job gives that they are concerned about. There are also cases when men work in primary or secondary schools, while salaries for all teachers are the same. It results in a possible conclusion that if men do not like to work for low wages, they would not apply for working at schools, for example. It proves that low wages is not a reason for men not to work with young children.

There is also a myth that men do not want to apply for jobs dealing with taking care of young children. In reality, a lot of men apply for such jobs, but are not hired for different reasons. According to a survey, men are not hired for teaching positions without proper education, while women without such education get the job easily (Torelli, 1995). Another prejudice is that men would leave their job in the childcare sphere for a better one as soon as they have a chance. Men may actually quit their job, but not because they do not like to work with children. The matter is that both men and women in daycare professions get low wages, and it is extremely difficult for them to promote and get a higher position. In such a way, men have to leave the position of a caretaker, in order to make a better living.

There are people who think that men are not as nurturing as women in daycare profession. However, this proved to be another myth. Bryan G. Nelson states that men have been taking care of children being their uncles, fathers, grandfathers or brothers for generations (Nelson, 2004). There is no doubt that the way men treat children has changed in the course of history. The way men nurture children differs from the way women do it. As a rule, men engage in more active games than women. They tend to play with children with great physical efforts. They also tend to verbally develop children more than it is done by women. They talk with children about a number of things and develop their speech more than women who tend to take care about how safe is a game for children, rather than just engage them in conversation.

Men involved in daycare profession are as nurturing and caring as their female colleagues. It may be proved not only by the above stated information, but also by the fact that they sometimes use the same techniques as women do. They tend to be patient with children in their wishes and desires. It should not be forgotten that most professions that require patience are occupied by men. These are positions of a counselor or team coach. And some of these positions also deal with working with young children. An important point is that men who work with children do so, because they have chosen such a profession, but not because they cannot find any other job. It contributes to them being as nurturing and caring as women in their profession. Some men apply for the position of a caretaker after they have served in the military or had some other job. And it is their choice and decision to enter the world of childcare.